Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1998
Tornado Warning 53, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this tornado warning at Oct 17, 1998, 6:55 PM CDT for Washington County, Texas. It was in force for 60 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.
The facts
- Issued
- Oct 17, 1998, 6:55 PM CDT (23:55 UTC)
- Expired
- Oct 17, 1998, 7:55 PM CDT
- In force
- 60 min
- Issued by
- NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
- Area
- Whole counties
County Washington County, TX
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 17, 7:50 PM CDT | Tornado F0 | Brenham, TX | DPS reported tornado. No damage reported. |
NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in.
The nearest sounding before it
Corpus Christi, TX (KCRP), launched 12:00Z, 11.9 hours before the alert went out and 291 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 2241 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 529 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 24 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 90 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 135 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.7
- Supercell composite
- 4.6
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KHOU 172355 RRA TORHOU TXC477-180055- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 655 PM CDT SAT OCT 17 1998 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HOUSTON/GALVESTON HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... EASTERN WASHINGTON COUNTY IN SOUTHEASTERN TEXAS * UNTIL 755 PM CDT * AT 650 PM CDT... SPOTTERS INDICATED A TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM 4 MILES EAST OF BRENHAM... MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH. * THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR... WASHINGTON AT 715 PM CDT THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION. ACT QUICKLY. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IN A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR POSSIBLE. AVOID WINDOWS. ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING OR GET INTO A DITCH OR CULVERT. &
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this tornado warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at Oct 17, 2:40 PM CDT, 4 hours 15 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Oct 17, 2:40 PM CDT, 4 hours 15 minutes before
SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
240 PM CDT SAT OCT 17 1998
A VERY COMPLEX AND TRICKY FCST THIS RUN. MDLS RMN IN FAIR AGREEMENT
WITH DRIVING UPR LOW OVR CNTRL PLAINS TOWARD GREAT LAKES REGION BY
MRNG AND SLWLY DRAGGING CF INTO NRN ZONES ERLY SUN AFTN. FNT LOOSES
ITS PUSH AS MID-UPR LVL FLOW GOES MAINLY ZONAL WITH FNT AND NEW UPR
LOW DVLPS OVR BAJA. FNT MAY SAG SLGTLY SWRD SUN NGT BUT SHUD RMN
FOCUS FOR TSTMS ALNG AND OUT AHEAD OF FNT WELL INTO MON. STILL
UNCERTAIN ABOUT TIMING OF FROPA OFF UPR COAST BUT AVN AND ETA DO
SUGGEST SOMETIME LATE MON AFTN. GOOD OVERRUNNING EVENT SETS UP
QUICKLY BEHIND FROPA ALL AREAS WITH MOIST SRLY FLOW AT 85OMB AND
PACIFIC MOIST SW FLOW AT 700MB. SERIES OF WEAK IMPULSES IN THE UPR
LVL JET WILL ENHANCE OVERRUNNING LIFT AND RESULT IN EMBEDDED TSTMS
AND THREAT OF LCLY HVY RAINS ACRS MUCH OF FA SUN NGT-MON. AT THIS
TIME...WILL PLAN ON FROPA WITH CLDS...OVERRUNNING RAINS AND COOLER
TMPS MOST AREAS BY MON AFTN. THIS PATTERN WILL LIKELY PERSIST TILL
BAJA LOW KICKS OUT SOMETIME MID WEEK.
HAVE ALLIGNED TOR WATCH AREA WITH SAME COUNTIES IN FLASH FLOOD WATCH
FOR TNGT. ADD MENTION OF PSBL SVR HERE TNGT. WILL HOLD OFF ON ANY
MENTION OF PSBL SVR ACRS REST OF FA FOR SUN AS MAIN UPR DYNAMICS
APPEARS TO PULL OFF TO NE.
CLL C/C C/C 70/78 64/76 8766 (TOR WATCH HERE TILL 8 PM TNGT)
(FLASH FLOOD WATCH TNGT-SUNDAY...BRAZOS, MADISON, GRIMES, BURLESON,
WASHINGTON, AUSTIN, COLORADO, WALLER)
IAH C/C C/C 74/83 65/78 7876 (LCLY HVY RAIN PSBL TNGT & SUNDAY)
SW E/C C/C 75/83 73/79 6776 (LCLY HVY RAIN PSBL SUNDAY)
(JACKSON,WHARTON2,MATAGORDA)
GLS E/C C/C 77/84 74/80 5676 (BRAZORIA, GALVESTON, CHAMBERS)
39/42In the hours before
Special weather statement, Oct 17, 2:28 PM CDT, 4 hours 27 minutes before
TXZ176-195>198-210>212-180125- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 228 PM CDT SAT OCT 17 1998 ...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR WESTERN PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS UNTIL 800 PM CDT... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR THE WESTERN PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS UNTIL 800 PM CDT. THE COUNTIES INCLUDED IN THIS TORNADO WATCH INCLUDE BRAZOS...BURLESON... GRIMES...MADISON...WASHINGTON...WALLER...AUSTIN...AND COLORADO. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY CONTINUE TO MOVE EASTWARD AND APPROACH THE COUNTIES IN THE TORNADO WATCH AREA. CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP AS THIS ACTIVITY MOVES TOWARD SOUTHEAST TEXAS...AND SOME OF THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING TORNADOES. AGAIN...A TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE WESTERN PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS UNTIL 800 PM CDT. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR OTHER WEAT HER NEWS SOURCES FOR THE LATEST UPDATES CONCERNING THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION.
Special weather statement, Oct 17, 2:28 PM CDT, 4 hours 27 minutes before
TXZ176-195>198-210>212-180125- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 228 PM CDT SAT OCT 17 1998 ...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR WESTERN PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS UNTIL 800 PM CDT... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR THE WESTERN PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS UNTIL 800 PM CDT. THE COUNTIES INCLUDED IN THIS TORNADO WATCH INCLUDE BRAZOS...BURLESON... GRIMES...MADISON...WASHINGTON...WALLER...AUSTIN...AND COLORADO. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY CONTINUE TO MOVE EASTWARD AND APPROACH THE COUNTIES IN THE TORNADO WATCH AREA. CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP AS THIS ACTIVITY MOVES TOWARD SOUTHEAST TEXAS...AND SOME OF THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING TORNADOES. AGAIN...A TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE WESTERN PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS UNTIL 800 PM CDT. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR OTHER WEAT HER NEWS SOURCES FOR THE LATEST UPDATES CONCERNING THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION.
Special weather statement, Oct 17, 6:20 PM CDT, 35 minutes before
TXZ163-164-177>179-199-200-213-214-226-227-235>238-181000- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 620 PM CDT SAT OCT 17 1998 LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL REMAINS POSSIBLE TONIGHT AND SUNDAY FOR THAT PORTION OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS GENERALLY SOUTH AND EAST OF HIGHWAY 59 AND INTERSTATE 45. THE CITIES OF HOUSTON AND GALVESTON ARE INCLUDED IN THIS HEAVY RAINFALL OUTLOOK. STRONG SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OUT AHEAD OF A SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT THAT PRODUCED FLASH FLOODING ACROSS THE HILL COUNTRY HAVE PROMPTED THE ISSUANCE OF A FLASH FLOOD WATCH TONIGHT AND SUNDAY FOR THAT PORTION OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS ALONG AND WEST OF A COLUMBUS TO NAVASOTA TO MADISONVILLE LINE WHERE THE GREATEST THREAT OF HEAVY RAINS CURRENTLY EXIST. DUE TO THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAINS WITH THIS APPROACHING WEATHER SYSTEM...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MAY BE REQUIRED FOR THE REMAINING PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS LATER TONIGHT OR ON SUNDAY. ON SUNDAY...THE SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE WESTERN EDGE OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND ACT AS A FOCUS FOR FURTHER SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA. VERY HIGH MOISTURE LEVELS WILL PERSIST WELL ABOVE SEASONAL NORMALS CREATING THE POSSIBILITY OF HEAVY RAINFALL TOTALS. RAINFALL TOTALS TONIGHT ARE EXPECTED TO AVERAGE BETWEEN 1/2 AND 1 INCH WITH ISOLATED TOTALS OF 2 TO 3 INCHES POSSIBLE. ON SUNDAY...THE THREAT FOR HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CONTINUE TO EXPAND FURTHER SOUTH AND EAST AS THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY MOVES INTO SOUTHEAST TEXAS. RAINFALL TOTALS ARE LIKELY TO BE HIGHER ON SUNDAY...POSSIBLY WIDESPREAD AMOUNTS BETWEEN 1 AND 2 INCHES WITH ISOLATED TOTALS OF 3 TO 5 INCHES OR GREATER. HEAVY RAINS COULD STILL BE A THREAT FOR PORTIONS OF OUR AREA ON MONDAY. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THIS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS HEAVY RAIN SITUATION CAREFULLY. EMERGENCY MANAGERS AND STORM SPOTTERS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT AND BE PREPARED FOR ACTIVATION SHOULD HEAVY RAIN DEVELOP AND FLOODING BE OBSERVED. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR OTHER RELIABLE WEATHER NEWS SOURCES FOR FURTHER UPDATES...INCLUDING POSSIBLE WATCHES OR WARNINGS...ON THIS HEAVY RAINFALL THREAT.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 17, 3:43 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | HGX | Brazos, Burleson | 62 min |
| Oct 17, 4:27 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | HGX | Brazos | 58 min |
| Oct 17, 5:03 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | HGX | Grimes, Madison | 47 min |
| Oct 17, 5:40 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | HGX | Brazos, Grimes, Madison | 3 hr |
| Oct 17, 5:57 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HGX | Madison | 43 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Texas, 1998Every tornado warning in 1998Tornadoes in 1998
Sources
The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.